The F2H-2 served during the Korean War with the US Navy's Task Force 77 and the Marine Corps. Due to its good performance at high altitude, the F2H-2 initially proved its worth as an escort fighter for USAF bombers, which were supporting United Nations Command (UNC) ground forces.

In 1954, a Banshee flew coast-to-coast, nonstop without refueling, approximately 1,900 miles (3,100 km) from NAS Los Alamitos, California to NAS Cecil Field, Florida, in approximately four hours.